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Former U.S. Sen. and former University of Florida President Ben Sasse announced on Tuesday, Dec. 23, that he has been diagnosed with terminal stage 4 cancer.
“This is a tough note to write, but I know a lot of people are starting to suspect something, so I’ll cut to the chase. Last week, I was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 pancreatic cancer. And I’m going to die,” Sass, 53, told X.
In an emotional post, the former Republican congressman from Nebraska called the diagnosis a “death sentence” but expressed gratitude to his close family and friends for their support.
“I am blessed with wonderful brothers and six friends who are true brothers,” Sasse wrote. “As one of them said, ‘Sure, you have time to spare, but we all have time to spare.’ Death is an evil thief and follows us all.”
Sasse resigned from the University of Florida last year, citing concerns about his wife’s epilepsy diagnosis.
“We are shocked and saddened by the news of President Sasse’s illness,” the school’s Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini and Interim President Dr. Donald W. Landry said in a statement to the USA TODAY Network.
“This was surprising news. Yet, true to Ben’s character, his first instinct was to provide comfort and reassurance to those of us who knew and respected him,” they said.
In Washington, Sasse has been one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal Republican critics, slamming his claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. He also slammed President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, calling the president’s leadership devoid of “rationality or responsibility.”
sasse and trump
Sasse voted in favor of impeaching Trump during the president’s second impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
“Here’s the sad reality: If you were talking about a Democratic president, most Republicans and most Democrats would simply switch places,” Sasse said at the time. The impeachment push ultimately failed in the Senate. “Tribalism is a hell of a drug, but our oath to the Constitution means we are bound by the facts.”
The then-Nebraska state senator voted to acquit Trump during his first impeachment trial in 2020.
Sasse will leave the U.S. Senate to become UF’s 13th president in 2022. He was approved unanimously by the school’s Board of Trustees, despite opposition from some in the university community during the selection process and a vote of no confidence by the University Faculty Senate, the USA TODAY Network’s Gainesville Sun reported.
In his inaugural address, Sasse promised to make the practical studies major “even more practical” and to increase transparency and accountability at the university.
“Generally speaking, I did not seek the position of university president,” he said at the inauguration. “Instead, I was persuaded. I was pursued and moved… It told me this was more than just a place, this was a cause I needed to be a part of.”
One of the more controversial moments of Sasse’s tenure occurred during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in April 2024 at UF’s America Square.
Nine protesters were arrested and charged with a variety of crimes, including disobedience to police, resisting arrest without violence, wearing a hood or mask on public property, trespassing, and felonious assault.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the campus and thanked the university for its quick action and ability to “maintain order.” He criticized the response of other universities across the country to similar demonstrations.
Contributor: Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
